PSP: Road-rage driver fired gun on I-83 near Glen Rock

A Harrisburg woman fired her handgun twice at another driver during a road-rage encounter near the Glen Rock exit of Interstate 83, according to state police.

Molly Susan Holencik, 24, of the 1200 block of Market Street, allegedly told a trooper that "people piss me off while driving," according to charging documents.

No one was hurt, according to police.

She was arraigned Thursday, Feb. 22, in the county's central booking unit and her bail was set at $100,000, according to court records, which state she was being committed to York County Prison.

Holencik is charged with aggravated assault, making terroristic threats, propulsion of missiles onto a roadway, driving under the influence, possessing a prohibited offensive weapon and reckless endangerment.

Brass knuckles: The offensive-weapon charge was lodged because police said they found a set of brass knuckles in her vehicle. In addition to the knuckles, troopers said they also seized her handgun, which had a round in the chamber and four rounds in its seven-round magazine.

Holencik is legally permitted to carry a concealed firearm in Pennsylvania, and had that permit in her vehicle, court documents state.

State police said Holencik was driving a gray Subaru Crosstek northbound on I-83 in Springfield Township near the Glen Rock exit (Exit 8) about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, when she was seen driving erratically.

She tried several times to pass a Jeep being driven by Joseph Lee Wirtz, but Wirtz said she was unable to do so because of traffic, police said. Wirtz also told police Holencik had been tailgating him, documents state.

Holencik then pulled aside Wirtz's Jeep, brandished a 9 mm handgun and fired two rounds at his vehicle, according to charging documents.

A witness told troopers she witnessed Holencik tailgating, swerving and yelling at vehicles, and saw her twice try to pass Wirtz's Jeep on the right, police said.

Then the witness saw Holencik fire a gun at the Jeep, documents state.

The witness called 911 and followed Holencik until troopers caught up and pulled her over at mile marker 18, police said. That's between the Prospect Street and Market Street exits.

Molly Holencik(Photo: Submitted)

'Felt provoked': Holencik told police she pointed the gun at Wirtz "because she wanted to scare the driver," according to state police.

She said she "felt provoked" by Wirtz and believed she "needed to be assertive," documents state, so she pulled out her loaded 9 mm handgun and pointed it at the Jeep.

She claimed the gun "just shot" and that she "wasn't expecting it to shoot," but that it somehow fired twice, according to charging documents.

"(Holencik) indicated she was relieved the bullet didn't ricochet back and hit her," Trooper Matthew Eicher wrote in a news release.

Traffic citations: Holencik has received a number of traffic citations in York, Adams and Dauphin counties since 2012, according to court records.

In mid-January, she was cited by State Capitol Police for allegedly disobeying an authorized person directing traffic, careless driving, driving at an unsafe speed and disregarding a traffic lane in Harrisburg City, records state.

She was cited in May by West Shore Regional Police for exceeding the speed limit in Lemoyne Borough in Cumberland County by 21 mph, and later pleaded guilty, records state.

Northern York County Regional cited Holencik in September 2016 for making an improper left turn in Conewago Township, and a month before that Lower Allen Township Police in Cumberland County cited her for exceeding a 55 mph speed limit by 20 mph, records state. She pleaded guilty in both cases, according to court records.

More citations: State police cited her in April 2014 for disobeying a traffic control device outside Gettysburg in Adams County, to which she also pleaded guilty, court records state.

In February 2014, Northern Regional Police cited her with disobeying a traffic control device, careless driving and driving without a license in Paradise Township; she later pleaded guilty, records state.

And in February 2012, Royalton Borough Police in Dauphin County cited Holencik with disobeying a traffic control device. She also pleaded guilty to that citation, records state.

Anyone who witnessed Wednesday's encounter or who has information about it is asked to call Eicher at 717-428-1011. Police said Holencik's gray Subaru Crosstrek has a number of stickers on the back window and has a license plate number of JLT-3529.

— Reach Liz Evans Scolforo at levans@yorkdispatch.com or on Twitter at @LizScolforoYD.